Timelapse images show the rapid construction of a Chinese military complex that, according to US officials, is on track to be at least 10 times the size of the Pentagon.
A new report by the Financial Times cites former and current US officials who say that the intelligence community is closely watching a sprawling 1,500-acre site in China. The site, which some are calling “Beijing Military City,” has features that suggest Chinese leaders are preparing for a potential nuclear war with the United States.
A satellite imagery time lapse of a new Chinese military command center under construction near Beijing, first reported by @Dimi.
The facility is on track to be ten times larger than the Pentagon, according to US officials. pic.twitter.com/RRdhZvcFLp
— Brady Africk (@bradyafr) January 31, 2025
Analysis by the Financial Times, based on European Space Agency Sentinel-2 satellite images, shows the development of a project that began last year approximately 20 miles southwest of Beijing.
Experts suggest that the deep holes visible in the images may indicate preparations for constructing fortified bunkers designed to shelter China’s military leadership in the event of war potentially even in anticipation of a nuclear first strike.
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow for foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society Policy Institute, compared these developments to the underground bunkers that Chairman Mao Zedong and other top Chinese leaders retreated to during the 1969 border conflict with the nuclear-armed Soviet Union.
Sharing his analysis on X, Morris stated, “One thing I can say with almost certainty: the deep bunkering suggests preparations for a nuclear C2 command. Given the CCP’s deep paranoia about a U.S. first strike on the Mainland, this would serve as a command and control centre for all senior CCP civilian and PLA leadership during a nuclear war or crisis. China doesn’t want to repeat what happened in 1969.”
Mathieu Duchatel, a policy analyst at the Paris-based Institut Montaigne, also weighed in on X, remarking: “The scale is astonishing, and seeing it built in Xiangshan is striking if you’ve been there. But what this reveals- that China isn’t just seeking military parity with the U.S., but superiority, and that its leadership remains vulnerable to a disarming first strike-is something we already know.”
Dennis Wilder, former CIA deputy assistant director for East Asia and the Pacific, told the Financial Times: “If confirmed, this newly developed underground command bunker for China’s military leadership, including President Xi in his role as chairman of the Central Military Commission, underscores Beijing’s ambition to build not just a world-class conventional military force, but also an advanced nuclear warfighting capability.”
Notably, the Pentagon serves as the headquarters of the Department of Defense and is located in Arlington in the state of Virginia. It is one of the world’s largest office buildings and hub of Washington’s foreign policy.